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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000/07/20 - ADMIN - Minutes - Community Technology Advisory Commission - Regular Minutes of the Telecommunications Advisory Commission July 20, 2000 Page 1 UNOFFICIAL MINUTES ST. LOUIS PARK CITIZENS CABLE TV ADVISORY COMMISSION JULY 20, 2000 --7:00 P.M. ST. LOUIS PARK CITY HALL SECOND FLOOR, NORTH #1 CONFERENCE ROOM MEMBERS PRESENT: Bruce Browning, John Herbert, Ken Huiras, and Mary Jean Overend MEMBERS ABSENT: Rick Dworsky, Dale Hartman, Robert Jacobson STAFF PRESENT: Reg Dunlap, Civic TV Coordinator, John McHugh, Community TV Coordinator, and Shirley Olson, Recording Secretary OTHERS PRESENT: Milda K. Hedblom, J.D., Ph.D., Telecommunications Professor at the Humphrey Institute 1. Call to Order Chair Huiras called the meeting to order at 7:15 p.m. 2. Roll Call All current members of the Commission except Rick Dworsky, Dale Hartman and Robert Jacobson were present. 3. Approval of Minutes It was moved by Bruce Browning, seconded by Mary Jean Overend, to approve the minutes of April 13, 2000 meeting of the Cable TV Advisory Commission with a minor correction made by Ken Huiras and also approve the minutes of the May 18, 2000 meeting of the Cable TV Advisory Commission. Motion carried unanimously. 4. Adoption of the Agenda It was moved by Bruce Browning, seconded by Mary Jean Overend, to adopt the agenda. Motion carried unanimously. 5. New Business A. Future Trends in Telecommunications: Guest Milda K. Hedblom, J.D., Ph.D. Reg Dunlap introduced guest speaker, Milda K. Hedblom, J.D., Ph.D. from the Humphrey Institute. Ms. Hedblom explained the history of where the telecommunications industry has Minutes of the Telecommunications Advisory Commission July 20, 2000 Page 2 been and where she believed the industry was moving. She summarized the activities of telephony, cable, Internet, wireless, satellite companies and described current activities in other cities where service providers were coming in and trying to over build existing cable systems. She described an ambitious satellite project by Teledesic, which plans to create global wireless voice, and data access. She said that Enron, an unregulated electrical utility, is building facilities to offer an integrated package of services (voice, data and video) and is expected to open a Twin Cities office in the near future. Bruce Browning asked if fiber to the home was feasible in the near future. Ms. Hedblom stated that at some future date this would become the new standard, but at this point it is still too costly and nobody has taken the lead to build those networks. She stated that competitive cable franchisers are planning to build hybrid fiber and coax cable platforms, like the St. Louis Park cable system, and cities need to evaluate the “carrots” (dark fiber) that are being offered to see if this is a good economic model. Bruce Browning asked who most likely would be the first in the industry to put fiber in. Ms. Hedblom said it would probably be Competitive Local Exchange Companies (CLEC’s) to compete with US West for voice and other services, and that there is great demand from property managers and clients for high speed bandwidth. She cited a project with 100 units of assisted living that would offer video monitoring of all residents as an option, and that a local city is partnering with the developer through a “use tax” in anticipation of legislation that threatens local cable franchise fees. Reg Dunlap asked why Europe has been the site of wireless industry leadership. Ms. Hedblom said that the European standards organizations developed an early and superior standard and are on the third generation of engineering, while United States standards bodies don’t have binding authority, which results in marketplace winners or losers. 6. Old Business A. School District funding for 2000 The Commission discussed the Cable Commission Report of May 22, 2000 received from Tom Marble, Manager of Technology. The Commission was in favor of providing future funding for equipment, but not funding personnel. The Commission questioned the feasibility of the School District providing matching funds. It was the consensus of the Commission to direct staff to talk to School District to see if the matching concept was feasible, and to encourage contact with School District Commission representative John Herbert. If matching funds were not feasible, the Commission desired a concrete proposal from the School District of how the funding would be utilized. Reg Dunlap said that the School District had not been able to assist non-public schools as yet and that the Commission should consider a separate grant for non- public schools, and that any funding proposal needs a plausible explanation for a Council recommendation. Minutes of the Telecommunications Advisory Commission July 20, 2000 Page 3 B. Needs assessment update John McHugh, Community TV Coordinator stated that the Study had been completed and presented a copy of the Executive Summary of the Telecommunications Study to the Commission to review. C. Review of competitive cable franchising process John McHugh said that the City has received documents from several companies (Wide Open West & Everest Connections Corporation) interested in building new cable systems in the City, and that after consulting the City Attorney, the time period for Cable TV Franchise applications has been extended until the non-resident community telecommunication needs survey has been completed and reviewed. 7. Reports - None 8. Communications from Chair - None 9. Communications from City Staff Reg Dunlap gave a brief summary of the MACTA summer legislative conference he and Dale Hartman attended and invited Commission members to attend the upcoming national conference to be held in September, 2000 in Los Angeles. 10. Adjournment With no other business to come before the Commission, it was moved by John Herbert, seconded by Bruce Browning to adjourn at 9:43 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Shirley Olson Recording Secretary ATTEST: Reg Dunlap Civic TV Coordinator City of St. Louis Park